04 December 2007

Spooks To Prez: Iran Not A Threat

An administration that had cited Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons as the rationale for an aggressive foreign policy — as an attempt to head off World War III, as President Bush himself put it only weeks ago — now has in its hands a classified document that undercuts much of the foundation for that approach.

The impact of the National Intelligence Estimate’s conclusion — that Iran had halted a military program in 2003, though it continues to enrich uranium, ostensibly for peaceful uses . . . [has put] the main argument for a military conflict with Iran . . . off the table for the foreseeable future. . . . [National Security Advisor] Hadley said the drastic reversal in the intelligence agencies’ knowledge about Iran’s weapons programs was based “on new intelligence, some of which has been received in the last few months.”

Let us hope that Congress listens to these facts in the 13 months left of George W. Bush's administration. There is no execuse now to start a new war with Iran.